Single standard stadium chair



Dec. 20, 1960 B. w. HENRIKSON ET AL 2,965,155

SINGLE STANDARD STADIUM CHAIR INVENTORS He nrilis'o n. C. Haven ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 77.- .Alfred m'lliam S: Lindberg .Berzzard E. Rimliua WW 8 W m w??? Wm Dec. 20, 1960 Filed July 21, 1958 B. W. HENRIKSON ET AL SINGLE STANDARD STADIUM CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESS 4/10/1 S/BAownMl/u INVENTORS Bz-or W: Henz-ihdon Alfred C. Holden lVi'lliam J1 llizzclbezg BY flerzuzz-d Eli'imliu ATTORNEY United States Fatent O SINGLE STANDARD STADIUM CHAIR Filed July 21, 1958, Ser. No. 749,876

Claims. (Cl. 155-83) The present invention relates to chair structures and inore particularly to chair structures especially adapted .for installation in stadiums or the like.

The primary objects of the invention are to provide novel stadium seating in which each chair is independently supported on a single, central supporting standard; to provide a chair structure having a novel mechanism for automatically swinging the chair seat from a lowered use position to an upwardly turned non-use position when the chair is unoccupied; and in general to provide improved stadium seating which is weather-resistant and durable, reasonably economical in manufacture, and attractive and distinctive in appearance.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a portion of a stadium or the like with the new chairs mounted on the vertical risers thereof;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of one of the chairs in a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a slightly modified form of the invention;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of parts of the chair taken on line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the chair seat in upwardly turned non-use position;

Figure 7 is a similar side elevational view of the chair seat in its lowered, use position; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of parts thereof taken on line 8-8 of Figure 5.

Referring now in detail to these drawings, the chairs shown in the upper part of Figure 1, and in Figure 2, comprise a single, central supporting standard 10 of generally J-shaped form in which the longer leg of the J constitutes a rear supporting post 11 for the chair back 12 and in which the shorter leg of the J constitutes a front supporting post 13 for the chair seat 14. The standard 10 has in the region of its lower bight portion a pair of laterally extending vertical flanges 15 which are provided with horizontally spaced apertures 16 therein adapting the standard for attachment to a vertical stadium riser 17 having horizontally spaced bolts 18 projecting therefrom through said apertures 16 and provided with nuts 19 threaded on the forward ends thereof (see Figure 2).

The seat-supporting front post 13 of the standard 10 has at its upper end a socket 20 (see Figure 8) extending horizontally in substantial parallelism with the riser 17, and a horizontal cross-bar here shown in the form of a tubular member 21 is seated in the socket 20 and extends laterally on opposite sides of the front post 13. An inverted U-shaped bracket 22 is fitted over the middle portion of the tubular member 21 with its front and rear leg portions 23, 24 lying adjacent the front and rear surfaces respectively of the front post 13. Bolts 25 pass through aligned apertures in the front post and in ice the leg portions 23, 24 of bracket 22 and are provided with nuts 26, and the tubular member 21 is thus rigidly connected to the front post.

Annular bearing members 27, 28 are fitted into the opposite ends of the tubular member 21 and project out wardly therefrom. The chair seat 14 has a metal frame 29 secured to its underside by means of rivets 30, and this frame 29 provides depending members in the form of side flanges 31, 32 having circular openings 33, 34 which accommodate the bearing members 27, 28 respectively. A cross-sectionally square torque wire or rod 35 extends longitudinally through the center of the tubular member 21 and has its opposite ends fitted into square sockets 36, 37 in the bearing members 27, 28 respectively.

A pin 38 extends through an opening in the. tubular member 21 and into one of the bearing members-as here shown the bearing member 28. This bearing member 28 is thus non-rotatably coupled to the tubular member 21, and the adjacent depending side flange 32 of the seat frame 29 is journalled on said one bearing member 28. The other bearing member 27 is rotatably journalled in the tubular member 21, and this bearing member 27 has on its outer end a notched circular flange 39. A rivet 40 is passed through a seelcted notch in the circular flange 39 and through the adjacent depending side flange 31 of the seat frame 29. Prior to setting the rivet 40, the bearing member 27 is turned to adjust the torsion on the torque rod 35 so that it is sufficient to automatically turn the seat from a lowered use position as seen in Figure 7 to an upwardly turned non-use position as seen in Figure 6, when the chair is unoccupied. When the seat is lowered for occupancy, the torsion on the torque rod 35 is increased.

Stop means are provided for limiting the swinging movements of the seat to lowered use position and to raised non-use position. As here shown these means comprise a pair of plates 41, 42 secured as by welding to the tubular member 21 at opposite ends thereof. When the seat is occupied, inwardly turned bottom flanges 43, 44 on the depending side flanges 31, 32 of the seat frame 29 contact the lower edges of the plates 41, 42 to thus support the seat when occupied. When the occupant vacates the seat it is automatically raised by the torque rod 35 until stops 45, 46, struck inwardly from the metal of the seat frame, contact the plates 41, 42 as seen in Figure 6. The stops 45, 45 are formed so as to cushion the stopping of the seat in its upwardly turned position.

The chairs seen at the bottom of Figure 1, and in Figure 3, are identical to that previously described except that the standards are shorter so as to accommodate the sloping bottom ramp 117 of the stadium.

The chairs may be equipped with arms as seen at the upper left of Figure 1. Arm rest supports 50 are connected to the rear post 11 by any suitable means (not shown) below the chair back 12. These supports 50 extend oppositely laterally from the rear post 11 and thence forwardly and are provided with arms 51. If desired, only one arm rest per chair might be provided to serve both of two adjacent chairs.

The various parts of the chairs are made of durable, weatherproof materials. The standards 10 may be of anodized aluminum, while the seats and backs may desirably be made of fiber glass reinforced plastic material. While but several specific embodiments of the chair have been herein shown and described it wil be understood that numerous details may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as the same is defined by the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a chair structure: a single, central supporting standard of generally J-shaped form wherein the longer leg of the J constitutes a back-supporting rear post and the shorter leg of the J constitutes a seat-supporting front post, said standard having in the region of its lower bight portion a pair of laterally extending vertical flanges provided with horizontally spaced apertures therein adapting the standard for attachment to a vertical riser having horizontally spaced bolts projecting therefrom through said apertures and provided with nuts threaded on the. forward ends thereof, said front post having at its upper end a socket extending horizontally in substantial parallelism with said riser; a tubular member seated in said socket and extending laterally on opposite sides of said front post; an inverted U-shaped bracket fitted over the middle portion of said tubular member with its front and rear leg portions lying adjacent the front and rear surfaces respectively of said front post; bolts passing through aligned apertures in the front post and said brackets leg portions and provided with nuts thereon, whereby the tubular member is rigidly connected to the front post; annular bearing members fitted into the opposite ends of said tubular member and projecting outjwardly therefrom; a chair seat having on its underside a pair of depending side flanges provided with circular openings accommodating said bearing members respectively; a cross-sectionally square torque rod extending through said tubular member and having its opposite ends fitted into square sockets in said bearing members; a pin extending through an opening in said tubular member and 'into one of said bearing members whereby said one bearing member is non-rotatably coupled to said tubular member, the adjacent depending seat flange being journalled on said one bearing member; the other bearing member being rotatably journalled in the tubular member and having on its outer end a notched circular flange whereby a rivet passing through a selected notch and through the adjacent depending seat flange couples said other bearing member to the seat with the torque rod under adjusted -torsion sufficient to automatically turn the seat from a lowered use position to an upwardly turned non-use position when the chair is unoccupied; and stop means for limiting swinging movements of the seat to lowered use position and to raised non-use position.

2. In a chair structure: a single, central supporting standard adapted for attachment at its lower end to a suitable supporting structure, said standard being of generally J-shaped form wherein the longer leg of the J constitutes a back-supporting rear post and the shorter leg of the J constitutes a seat-supporting front post; a chair back mounted on said rear post; a tubular metal cross-bar secured at its middle to the upper end of the front post and extending laterally on opposite sides thereof; annular bearing members fitted into the opposite ends of said tubular member and projecting outwardly therefrom; a chair seat having on its underside a pair of depending side flanges provided with circular openings accommodating said bearing members respectively; a torque rod extending through said tubular member and having its opposite ends connected to said bearing members; means non-rotatably coupling one of said bearing members to said tubular member, the adjacent depending seat flange being journalled on said one bearing member; the other bearing member being rotatably journalled in said tubular member and coupled to the adjacent depending seat flange for movement therewith.

3. A chair structure according to claim 2 in which stop means are provided for limiting swinging movements of the seat to lowered use position and to raised non-use position.

4. A chair structure according to claim 2 in which said other bearing member which is rotatably journalled in the tubular member has on its outer end a notched circular flange whereby a rivet passing through a selected notch and through the adjacent depending seat flange couples said other bearing member to the seat with the torque rod under adjusted torsion sufiicient to automatically turn the seat from a lowered use position to an upwardly turned non-use position when the chair is unoccupied.

5. A chair structure according to claim 4 in which stop means are provided for limiting swinging movements of the seat to lowered use position and to raised non-use position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 69,850 Sherwood Oct. 15, 1867 1,218,857 Hartbauer Mar. 13, 1917 1,441,942 Owen Jan. 9, 1923 1,534,630 Avery Apr. 21, 1925 2,113,103 Yost et al. Apr. 5, 1938 2,568,896 Morgan et al, Sept. 25, 1951 2,760,553 Lie Aug. 28, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 619,334 Great Britain Mar. 8, 1949 992,500 France July 11, 1951 656,572 Great Britain Aug. 29, 1951 

